Jonesboro A&P commission chairman has died

Jonesboro A&P Commission Chairman Thom Beasley died suddenly Tuesday (Nov. 29) at his home in Jonesboro. Beasley, 67, had been battling an undisclosed illness, Talk Business & Politics has learned.

Beasley was first appointed to the commission in 2006, and was selected chairman in 2012. He worked for many years to bring a convention center to the city, a dream that was realized earlier this year when two separate groups announced plans to build convention centers in the city.

“I was saddened to hear the news about Thom,” Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin said. “Thom was a good friend and a true public servant of the city of Jonesboro who tried to help everyone he could. My prayers and thoughts are with his family, as well as his associates at Farm Bureau.”

A timetable to replace Beasley on the commission was not released. It wasn’t clear as of Tuesday afternoon when a new chairman will be selected to replace Beasley.

Beasley was a well-known businessman. He worked as the agency manager at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Insurance Company’s Craighead County branch since 1993. He also spent almost seven years as an insurance agent. Before he entered the insurance business, Beasley was a farmer. He was instrumental in establishing the Arkansas State University farmer’s market. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1971 with a degree in management, according to his Facebook page.

Beasley was raised in Hughes and graduated from high school there. Funeral arrangements have not been released.